Eco-Hub

A qualified bike mechanic will be present at the hub to fix bicycles and provide advice on maintenance. More information can be found on the Marston Eco Group Facebook page.

We now have a book swap shop at the SESI refill station which is open from 08:00 to 21:00 each day.

The Giving Garage ws set up by and is maintained by Marston Community Gardens. Various items, particularly gardening tools,  have been donated by members of the community and can be borrowed free of charge by local residents. It is open every Saturday 09:00 to 11:00 if volunteers available.

Items to borrow February 2024

Items to give away for free February 2024

Food Larder

Loaves and fishes is based at the giving garage on  Saturdays. We have a supply of dried goods (tins and packets) as well as toiletries. The food is free to all without questions being asked. Come with a few bags and take the food you need for yourself (and your family). Free refreshments will be provided. For more information call 01865-580354 or email administrator@stnicholasmarston.org.uk.

Food Larder

Marston Community Gardens is based at the Eco-Hub and runs various projects in Marston:

1 Giving Garden
2 SESI Refill Station
3 Community Chickens
4 Forest Garden
5 Community Allotments
6 Boults Lane Sports Meadow
7 Mortimer Payground Wildflowers
8 Orchard Triangle
9 Wildflower Meadow
10 Sharing shed
11 Community E-Car Club
12 New Marston Community Wood
13 New Marston Community Orchard
14 New Marston Primary School Copse
15 Court Place Farm Community Wood

You can find out more:

Website: Marston Community Gardening – A planet-friendly community group based in Marston, Oxford, UK (wordpress.com)

Facebook: Marston Community Gardening | Facebook

Twitter: MarstonCommunityGardening (@MarstonCommuni1) / Twitter

Email: hello@marstoncommunitygardening.org.uk

Download: map of projects

Small groups of local residents will get together to litter pick in different parts of Old Marston and New Marston and also in conjunction with the OxClean event. Contact Marston Community Gardens for more information.

The Refill Station opened in October 2020 at the MCG Hub, behind the Giving Garage. It is stocked with a range of biodegradable, vegan, cruelty-free detergents from local Oxfordshire company, SESI. The aim is to reduce local plastic use by allowing people to affordably refill their own bottles with these every day products. In August 2024 a brand new wooden building was installed to provide a home for the Sesi refil station. You can see pictures of the relaunch here.

Our Refill Station has been running for almost 4 years, since October 2020, with the aim of reducing local plastic use by allowing people to affordably refill their own bottles locally with the environmentally friendly and ethical everyday products we supply. The products we stock are from Oxfordshire-based company, SESI (sesi.org.uk): laundry detergent and fabric conditioner, washing-up liquid, dishwasher powder and rinse aid, all-purpose concentrate cleaner, window/glass cleaner, toilet cleaner, white vinegar, shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, hand soap, hand & body lotion, and rapeseed oil. According to SESI’s calculations, the total single use bottles and packaging items saved from our SESI Refill purchases so far is 13,584! Thank you so much for caring about the environment and using this local non-profit community service!

The Refill Station is supported by local community groups Marston Community Gardening (MCG) and by St Nicholas Church, and is run by active volunteers of the sub-group Marston Eco Group, including Vicar Skye Denno, who is of course also our host since the Refill Station is at the Marston Vicarage, along with Jane Patten and Zoe Woodhead.

You may have noticed that the Refill Station has been mostly out of operation since late May 2024, due to tree-felling work needed on-site and issues with the canopy we were using. We received some funding from MCG, a Parish Council grant, and some crowdfunding from the lovely folks of Marston – Thank you so much!

Bring clean, empty bottles with you, marked with how many millilitres they hold. Choose your product dispenser, open your bottle and place it on the stand, and adjust the height as needed to be closer to the outlet. Turn the black handle so the outlet faces down into your bottle. Then start pumping the red handle at the top slowly to fill your bottle: it fills both as you pull up and push down.

Go especially slowly with the all-purpose cleaner as it tends to froth a bit when refilling! Observe the speed of filling and try to adjust your pumping so that the red handle is down when you finish filling. Put the lid securely on your bottle and return the dispenser’s black handle to a downward position so the detergent won’t drip out of the spout. Wipe up any spills/dry hands with towels provided.

Help yourself to the correct product label for your bottle from the yellow folder the first time you fill the bottle. Put your filled bottles into a plastic bag (please bring your own) to avoid spillage on your way home. Calculate what you owe and make payment. Thank you!

P.S. If you want to use the service but feel you will need assistance, contact us and we’ll make arrangements for one of us to help.

For more information about the products please visit the Sesi website: https://sesi.org.uk/refills/ethical-product-contents